Danny’s Dilemma

Capulet a Fiasco!

The new release from locals Danny’s Dilemma is not a fiasco at all, rather it’s an intriguing conundrum that sneaks into your brain and makes a cozy home. The strangely catchy “I Miss My Parents” opens the album with a bit of truth and humor (“You can’t keep your feet clean ’cause the tub’s dirty and the soap’s all gone…could you take care of it?”). And the title track references Shakespeare with whining, energetic vocals over driving drums and distorted guitar.

Capulet a Fiasco! elicits pairs from traditional dichotomies (folk punk, anyone?), a bit like a Capulet rendezvous with a Montague. Frontman Danny Bobbe’s familiar yet distinct voice winds through taffy rhythms, smoothly moving between out-of-tune punk and solid rock vocal styles. The addition of juicy female backup vocals adds a bit of variety just when I thought I’d lost interest.

If “Never Was I Helpless” sounds a bit leaderless, they sort it out on “S.O.S.,” telling the story of a friend in need, when Danny twists around the words, “You were screaming S.O.S. and I was thinking you’d be okay, but you were saying, ‘Save my ship’ before it sinks away.”

It’s an interesting album that deserves a few listens before, as Shakespeare might say, you bite your thumb at it. (Samantha Dwyer)